2010 New Frontiers grants awarded to IU faculty

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Nearly three dozen faculty from various Indiana University campuses have received New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities grants for 2010. The awards, which support faculty as they expand their work into new disciplinary or interdisciplinary areas, will provide funding for projects such as:

Wall of Sighs, by Lesley Baker

"Past is Present, Digitally Altered Everyday Ware," the creation and exhibition of digitally reworked ceramic ware designed to make viewers question things in their environment, by Lesley Baker, assistant professor in the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

"Tendrils: Modular Organic Systems," the design and creation of interactive building systems, based on organic and natural forms, for constructing sculptural and functional objects, by Richard Elaver, assistant professor of visual communication and 3-D design at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

"Disappearing Acts: The End of White Criminality in the Age of Jim Crow," a book examining how political and cultural shifts pertaining to native-born white and European criminality transformed black male criminality, beginning in the Prohibition-era North, by Khalil Muhammad, assistant professor of history at IU Bloomington

Concerts and a symposium celebrating the bicentennial of Chopin featuring the Chopin Concertos performed by the Shanghai Quartet and Edward Auer, professor of music at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, as the piano soloist

Grass Vase Series, by Richard Elaver

In 2009-10, the New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities program has begun its second five-year cycle with funding from the IU President's Office. In its first five years, the highly successful New Frontiers program was funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The program is administered by the offices of IU's Vice President for Research and Vice Provost for Research. In total, the program has now supported more than 400 projects by IU faculty.

"Since its inception, the New Frontiers program has fostered ground-breaking research, scholarship and creative activity in the arts and humanities. Indeed, it has ushered in a new era of creativity at IU," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "I am extremely pleased that we were able to extend New Frontiers' funding for another five years to support exceptional faculty and ensure that the arts and humanities at IU continue to grow in quality and stature."

Some changes have been made to the program, including the creation of a new grant category. Three out of the four types of New Frontiers program awards remain the same: New Frontiers (for innovative works of scholarship and creative activities), New Perspectives grants (for workshops and conferences), and Exploration Traveling Fellowships (for national and international travel). Exploration Traveling Fellowships are awarded six times per year in August, October, December, February, April, and June.

Khalil Muhammad

The program's new component, New Directions, funds projects that are highly innovative and risk-taking. New Directions projects must involve collaboration between faculty members from the arts and humanities and faculty from the sciences, technology, or the professions.

Geoffrey Conrad, associate vice provost for research, oversees the entire New Frontiers program. He is excited about the New Directions component.

"The newly created New Directions grant is a far-reaching change. Our goal is to push the boundaries of the arts and humanities at IU by forging creative partnerships to everyone's mutual benefit," Conrad said.

The New Frontiers program is specially designed to encourage awardees to use the funding as a foundation for seeking external grants to support their work.

"These grants allow faculty members to make the initial steps in scholarship and creativity that attract further funding from private and government sources," said Interim Vice President for Research Robert Schnabel. "The New Frontiers programs are a central component of the university's efforts to build upon our strong tradition in the arts and humanities."

Bradley Levinson, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Education, IU Bloomington: "Human Rights, Legal Systems, and Customary Culture in the Global South: A Working Group and Linked Symposia"